Shuttered Union County movie theater hosts last drill before demolition

The end credits are rolling for a closed movie theater in Union County. Demolition is scheduled to begin Monday at Berkeley Cinema, 8 years after the former landmark closed its doors for good.

Before being torn down, the building served as a location for a Berkeley Heights Fire Department drill. Fire officials say the Sunday morning exercise was "mostly forcible entry, since there were many doors on the building."

The demo work at 450 Springfield Ave. will be conducted by Pellegrino Construction Services of Pompton Plains. In the theater's place will be "The Terrace at Berkeley Heights."

According to minutes from the township planning board's August 1st meeting, the four-story, mixed-use, building will feature 20 rental units, three of which will be affordable housing units. The site also will include 4,000-square-feet of retail space.